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Booking in a Makeup Artist for your wedding is a HUGE deal! I say this not because I am a Makeup Artist, I say this because your Makeup Artist will have big impact on how you look and feel on your wedding day. If everything else on your wedding day turned out great but your face took on more of a Courtney Love look rather than a sultry smokey eye, how would this impact the rest of your day? Your wedding photos will last for generations and so will the makeup portrayed in them. I don’t say this to scare you, I say this because its the simple truth. Do your research, find the right Makeup Artist for you, don’t just settle for an Artist who is cheaper. Makeup Artists come in variations of specialisation, levels of artistry skill, degrees of professionalism and different styles of work. Here are my tips on what to look for…
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First Things First
Now that you are engaged there is a lot of wedding day planning a head, one of which includes booking in the right Makeup Artist for you. But do you know what to look for? Do you know where to find a quality Artist? Do you know what to expect from this professional service? Most importantly, do you know how you want to look on your wedding day?
Are you a natural bride? Or do you prefer a more glamourous bridal look? Do you want to portray your unique personality through your makeup? Or perhaps your makeup will be influenced by cultural traditions? And lastly how do you know if your Makeup Artist can create all of this with the quality of makeup you expect?
The ‘Rocker Bride’
The ‘Cultural Bride’
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The ‘Glamorous Bride’
The ‘Natural Bride’
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The ‘Gatsby Bride’
The ‘Gothic Bride’
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Don’t Skimp On The Artist
Find the right Artist for you- 3 Things You Must Consider
The most obvious quality to look for in your makeup artist is artistic skill. Most Artists excel at certain types of artistic makeup more than others. Personally, I can create a really beautiful, fresh and glowing natural bridal makeup and I know my clients will love it! I would say that my speciality is the more glamorous look, think Kim Kardashian or Jlo, there is just something that resonates with me and this type of look! Look for an Artist that thrives in the makeup look you are after, ask your Makeup Artist what type of makeup they do the more often and which makeup style they enjoy doing most… the more natural subtle makeup? Or the more glamourous, red carpet celebrity look, with highlighting, contouring, sexy, sultry and elegant? Check out their website, hopefully they will have quite a few pictures that are clear and without filters. If they have before and after photos then this is a great way to determine their level of work.
Listen up!
Makeup is an interpretation of art. The type of makeup to be interpreted comes from the client and the Artist is the interpreter. The Makeup Artist must have great listening skills to be able to interpret the clients needs in order to project what the client has communicated. Ensure the Makeup Artist you choose listens to you, I know this sounds basic but it’s of fundamental importance so that you get what you want and not what they want. The Trial is the best time to ask as many questions as you can and to also try on a number of looks and styles if you are unsure of what you actually want. Take this time to really discuss your makeup with the Artist. This will be the best time to see if the Makeup Artist is actively listening to your needs. The Makeup Artist should be able to rephrase what you have just said right back at you, generally speaking this is the best way to ensure that anyone you are speaking to is actively listening to you and not just waiting for you to finish so that they can talk.
Client Says; ” For my wedding I would love the more natural look as I find heavy makeup makes me look older, don’t you agree?”
Artist says; “Oh yes I agree, but you know what I think would suit you, a classic red lipstick!”
Whenever I enter a retail store and I feel the assistant is trying to sell me without attempting to understand what I actually need, o’boy does that get me peeved off! It makes me feel like another number and not an individual with individual needs. The same goes with a Makeup Artist. Yes Makeup Artists should give their professional recommendation and guidance, however first and foremost Makeup Artists should always actively listen to their client’s needs and ensure they take that into consideration.
Let’s face it, a wedding is not only about the vowels you take or the marriage certificate you receive, it is the total experience. Your special day should be all about your total experience, before, after and during, this includes the experience you have with your Makeup Artist.
Countless times I’ve heard stories of how clients were disappointed with their previous Makeup Artist, either for their level of artistic skill or lack of professionalism. Ensuring that the entire process is a smooth and an enjoyable experience is everything. The right Artist should have the ability to create this experience not only through their work but through their communication, professionalism and delivery. Booking in a Makeup Artist should not be a difficult task, in fact the Makeup Artist should know what is expected of him/her on the day and as such should be prepared for what is to come.
Ensure your Makeup Artist is not only highly professional and is experienced with many weddings, but on top of that (as the icing on the cake) ensure your Makeup Artist has a great personality and positive energy to be able to cope with any last minute changes or stressful events that will be sure to occur on the day.
…. I have seen it before, when an Artist or Hair Stylist isn’t able to cope with last minute changes on such a stressful day. When there is a bridal party line of 5 waiting to get hair and makeup done, then suddenly 3 more guests appear requesting makeup, then one of the bridesmaids isn’t happy with the way she looks and starts to bicker, the other bridesmaid is influenced by this and decides to change her planned hair and makeup style to something completely different at the last minute, one of the guests who booked in for hair and makeup is now running late which brings back everyone else’s allocated time, and if that wasn’t enough the mother of the bride steps in to give her opinion on her daughters hair and makeup look, yup its all happening and this is real! All these things have happened before, and I have experienced stressful wedding days and I have also seen the way other hired Artists and Stylists react to this chaos by absorbing the stressful energy and becoming stressed, grumpy and negative themselves. It is important your Artist knows how to keep their cool, they should come equipped with the right personality and ‘Can Do’ attitude to be able to take on all these additional challenges with a smile, to diffuse any stressful situations, instead of further adding to it with stressful negativity.
Additional Tips:
Trial, Trial, Trial!
Don’t skimp on the trial, trials are essential! A trial should be a longer consultation where you and the Artist try on a couple of looks and colours, see what is suited to you and how it wears. It is a time for you to ask as many questions as possible about the makeup and to get the look you want because on the day it will be hectic and the last thing you will be able to do is discuss what looks good on you and what you like and don’t like about your makeup. After the trial the artist should take a photo and take notes of the makeup, including notes on the products used and your likes and dislikes.
Book in your trial about 6 months before your wedding, if your wedding falls on wedding season (Spring/Summer) then consider booking in your trial earlier to ensure you get your preferred time.
Say No To The Two-In-One Shampoo and Conditioner!
What the heck is she on about now!? I hear you say.. its quite simple, as I say to all my clients who ask me if I do hair, there is a reason why the 2-in-1 Shampoo & Conditioner didn’t last on the market, because it is nowhere near as good as the 2 separate products. You either shampoo or you condition, one has bubbles and is quite drying because of its detergent properties, the other has oils and is moisturising. So why hire a Makeup Artist who also does hair on the side? It isn’t impossible, but it is highly unlikely that you will find a Makeup Artist who is as talented and as passionate about hair as they are about Makeup. It’s a funny thing really but I speak from the countless of Artists and Stylists I have met over the last decade. You are generally Amazing at either one but not both (I am yet to see it). Not only that, but take the smaller side of your average bridal group size, lets say 2 Bridesmaids and the Bride, with a separate hair stylist and makeup artist (2 professionals) involved the entire process should take 3-4 hours for both hair and makeup. If you were to hire a 2-in-1 Artist/Hair Stylist the entire process will take you about 6-8 hour (meaning you have to wake up and start considerably earlier! There goes your sleep in for the big day!). More importantly I guarantee that the Bride or Bridesmaid that gets the 2-in-1 Hair Stylist/Artist on the 6th or 7th working hour will not have the same quality of hair and makeup as the people who were done during the first 3-4 hours. Standing all day gets very tiring and quality of work can drop after so many hours, its only normal. Hire a Makeup Artist who is passionate about Makeup, someone who lives and breathes makeup, and hire a Hair Stylist who is obsessed over hair. It is with 2 individuals like these that you will get the best results guaranteed.
Finders Keeps & Appreciate!
The last tip I can give you is when you find a great Makeup Artist who meets all of the above then hold onto their number, these days it is so hard to find an Artist that has all these qualities. If you want the best out of your newly found Artist then like anything in life, if you show your appreciation for them and try your best to make it an effortless process from your end, then I guarantee you that your Artist will do all they can and more to deliver above exceptional work which will make it that much more special for you on your day.
Remember, if there is one thing that will have a major impact on how you feel on your wedding day it will be how you look. You’re makeup is so important because it is the frontline of how you look, so do your research and invest well in a Great Makeup Artist!
Alondra For Makeup
Perth’s best makeup and beauty guru, with over 20 years in the industry.
